Advice Needed: See Juvia
by YatoKami16
Summary: Juvia hasn't been to a normal school since she was young, however she is thrown into an investigation job assigned by the Academy. She finds the school is not what she had expected, and meets friends who are willing to help accomplish her job despite being unaware of the details. Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy tackle a dangerous job in search of their missing friend. Is all hope lost?
1. In which a wall is dented

*Authors note:* this is a crossover of Fairy Tail and Clannad, however the main plot line and the situation of the characters are inspired in part by C.L Stone's "The Academy" book series. This isn't exactly a crossover with the books, but I thought I should mention it and give credit to C.L for the inspiration, and if you haven't read her books I highly recommend them. :)

* * *

 **Advice Needed: See Juvia**

Chapter 1:

 _In which a wall is dented._

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 _A bright light shining into my closed eyes broke my unconscious state. I half expected it was calling me to the afterlife. Instead, I opened my eyes to find bright sunlight shining through the window of an unfamiliar room. Suddenly, the room vanished around me, and I found myself falling into an endless abyss of water._

* * *

"Juvia? Juvia, wake up!" The perturbed voice of my roommate startled me out of my dream. I sat up abruptly, feeling confused and half-awake.

"What happened?" As reality set in I realized that my roommate, Lucy, was sitting next to me on my bed. Her amber eyes bore into mine, looking concerned. "It almost sounded like you were screaming. Did you have a nightmare?"

"Juvia is alright, Lucy-san," I assured her, despite still feeling rather confused and sleepy. "She was just dreaming."

Lucy looked a little more satisfied, but still wary. She sat back from me and stood up, crossing the room to sit on her own bed. "Well that didn't seem like any normal dream," she said. "You were tossing and turning, and right before you woke up you looked like you couldn't breath and were trying to scream for help."

"Juvia is sorry, she didn't mean to scare Lucy-san," I said apologetically.

"It's alright, but if you start having more nightmares like that you should talk to someone about it," she said.

"Juvia will," I promised.

"Good." Lucy settled back into her bed, appearing to be satisfied now, and after a few minutes she seemed to drift off back to sleep.

How early was it? In the back of my sleepy mind it seemed like I was forgetting something.

In a panic, it occurred to me. I glanced over at the alarm clock on my bookshelf which read 6:07 AM. Crap! How had I forgotten to set the alarm? Now I only had an hour to get there, and the train ride alone would take at least thirty minutes. I sighed, pulling myself out of bed; I could almost hear the warm sheets and comforter calling me back. I walked over to the closet, selecting a hanger from the collection that mostly consisted of blue dresses.

I stared for a moment at the yellow and navy blue school uniform. I was required to wear it, but something about it just felt wrong. Even so, I didn't have a choice. I put it on and checked myself in the mirror, twirling once to test the navy blue skirt. It still didn't feel right, but I guessed I would have to get over it. I quickly twisted my wavy cerulean blue hair into a braid, grabbed my bag of school supplies I had prepared last night, and started for the door of my room.

I walked down the hallway past the other girls' rooms on our floor. I descended the stairs down to the bottom floor, where there was a central kitchen and dining room that everyone living in the building used, since no one had their own in their rooms. I didn't expect anyone else to be awake for at least another hour, but I walked in to find a petite, royal blue-haired girl sitting at one of the three tables, engrossed in a book and drinking from a mug of coffee.

"Good morning, Juvia," she greeted me, looking up from the pages. She blinked when her chocolate brown eyes trailed over the uniform I was wearing. "Oh, that's right—you start at the school today, don't you?"

"Good morning, Levy-san," I greeted her back. "Juvia is quite nervous about it," I admitted.

"Don't be," she advised. "You wouldn't be going if Master didn't think you could handle it."

I smiled. "Thanks, Levy-san."

I said goodbye to Levy and headed out the front double doors of the dorm building. I would've liked to enjoy the walk in the sunshine, but I had to hurry; being late on the first day would not help my confidence about this job.

* * *

My heart was beating out of control and my palms were sweaty as I made my way down the unfamiliar hallways. I still didn't like the idea of being here alone, but I didn't have a choice in the matter. Master knew I wasn't comfortable being all by myself in a completely new school—but maybe that's why he chose me. Throwing me into a huge job all by myself and basically forcing me to learn some social skills was definitely his style. Kill two birds with one stone.

Thinking about it made me more homesick than I already was. Being here almost felt like a betrayal to the family I had been with and never been apart from since I was eight. It wasn't like I was leaving them forever—I technically wasn't leaving at all—but I missed it nonetheless. Perhaps I was being over dramatic.

Where was the classroom? It was only the first day and I was already lost. Wonderful.

The wide, winding halls filled with students confused me. I wasn't used to all of the people around me in such a commotion to get to classes, find their friends, or rushing to finish last minute homework. All of the stress in the air around me started to make my head hurt, but I shook it off.

My nervousness didn't take long to return though, and worse than before. Looking around, I wondered how I could even begin to accomplish this job when I couldn't even find my way to the classroom.

"Umm, miss?" a soft voice asked from behind me.

I turned my head. A violet-haired girl about my age was tapping my shoulder, trying to get my attention. She was a bit shorter than myself and was wearing a uniform identical to mine. Her eyes were a soft blue and were quite pretty.

"Yes?" I asked, speaking softly, although I didn't mean to.

"You're new here, right?" the girl asked, looking hopeful.

"Yes, Juvia just transferred here," I replied and I stood up straighter.

The violet-haired girl looked relieved. "Thank goodness. I'm Fujibayashi Ryou, the class leader. The principal told me a new girl was joining our class today, and I've been looking all over for you."

"Juvia is sorry." I felt a little guilty. "Juvia hopes you weren't looking for her for too long."

"Not at all," she said, smiling. "Well, Juvia, it's nice to meet you, but we should get to class before we're late. I'll show you where it is." She beckoned me with her hand to follow her.

Ryou led me up a flight of stairs and down another hallway. She stopped in front of one of the doors.

"Here it is." She opened the door, inviting me to step in. "Class D3."

I suddenly froze, and I hesitated a moment. The last time I had been in a normal classroom in a normal school was when I was a child. Repressed memories started playing in my mind. I shivered. Ryou looked at me, concern in her eyes.

"Is something wrong? You're shaking like crazy."

"No, Juvia is fine; just a little nervous. She'll get over it," I lied.

I gathered my courage and stepped in. All the other students were either sitting at their desks or standing, talking to each other. My face went almost completely red because everyone in the room turned to stare at me, the new girl—just great. Ryou showed me to my desk on the right of the room by the wall before she left to talk to a sky blue-haired boy who had just walked in, late. I reached into my bag and pulled out my notebook so I could write in it when class started. On the outside I had taped several pictures of my friends; it was sort of my way of making up for being apart, which seemed a little over dramatic seeing as I would go home when this was over.

 _Crash!_ Suddenly the door of the classroom flew open and another violet-haired girl stomped over to where Ryou and the blue-haired boy were talking. I would've mistaken her for Ryou if it wasn't for her hair being much longer. They were about the same height, and both had blue eyes. Twins? I could tell they were definitely sisters anyway.

"You, Tomoya!" She threw her book at the blue-haired boy's head. "You're gonna pay for picking on my sister, you flea-brain!" She grabbed his shirt collar, yanking him toward her.

"I wasn't picking on her!" the boy, Tomoya, insisted.

"Don't worry, Kyou, he really wasn't," Ryou added.

"Oh, in that case." She let go of his shirt, and Tomoya seemed relieved.

"Were you having Ryou read your fortune or something?" Kyou asked Tomoya.

"She said that I'll 'meet a certain girl' today," he replied.

"Really?" Kyou sounded interested. Then she patted Tomoya's shoulder. "Well, good luck." And then she sauntered off, humming merrily.

"So how's it going so far?" Ryou asked, coming to sit at her desk, which was apparently the one behind mine.

"Ryou-san can read fortunes?" I was interested in spite of myself.

"Yes, actually; it's a hobby of mine." She smiled. "I'll read yours sometime, if you like."

"That's nice of Ryou, Juvia would like—" I got cut off because the door to the classroom opened, and the teacher stepped in.

My jaw fell to floor at the sight of the stumpy-bodied, red-haired man.

"Maaaaaaan! I am Ichiya, at your service, ladies," he said in a creepily deep voice, winking. A bright aura surrounded him—almost blinding. "And can't forget you too, meeeen!"

"I feel violated," a girl from the front of the room cried.

"You stay away from those students, you creep!" A scarlet streak flew toward the man and sent him sprawling across the room and hitting the wall.

My eyes widened in shock. "Erza-san?!" I almost exclaimed out loud, but I knew better than to give anything away.

The tall, scarlet-haired woman was extremely intimidating, but I knew she was actually sweet underneath that exterior. She took her place by the chalkboard, seeming to pretend that nothing had happened, and wrote her name with red chalk.

"My name is Ms. Scarlet, I'll be your real substitute teacher for today," she addressed the class, who looked terrified. Ichiya twitched on the floor nearby. I couldn't blame them. I knew how to react when the scarlet-haired fireball lost her temper, but the rest of the class had no clue who she even was. Additionally she was only a year older than us, so it was hard to imagine that she was the teacher.

"Now then, we should..." She stopped speaking as Ichiya had stood up.

"Meeeen, your lovely parfum still intoxicates me Erza-san," he said, sniffing her.

Erza's eyes went wide—she was plainly horrified. "Stay far away from me, you freak!" She kicked him again, this time sending him flying out the door and hitting the wall on the other side of the hallway.

Exactly how much would that dented wall cost for damages? Master would probably have a fit, as usual whenever Erza's team got involved with almost anything. If humans had the power to destroy a town with their bare hands, this place would be doomed. Erza resumed her place at the chalkboard and began to write notes to continue on the lesson; once again acting like she hadn't just kicked someone out a door and dented a wall.

I wondered how she had convinced the school she had a teaching degree. All of us had learned a few basic teaching techniques each a few years ago—it was essential after all, as we mostly helped teach each other rather than take classes—but we still weren't legally qualified to teach a whole class in a real school. Knowing Erza, she probably found a way to pull a few strings. And the class wouldn't dare question her, of course; she had made her impression.

"So, any questions?" she asked once she had finished her lecture. The class looked bewildered because she had taught too fast. "No? None at all? Wow, I never knew I was such a good educator!" Her eyes twinkled with satisfaction and I resisted the urge to laugh. Whenever Erza thought she discovered a new "talent" of hers, she became a little... silly, for lack of a nicer word.

The lessons seemed to go on like that until we were dismissed for lunch break. I realized then how hungry I was, but I had been in such a hurry earlier that morning that I hadn't thought of bringing food with me.

I decided to wander outside and try to clear my head a bit. After all, I had nothing better to do for the rest of the hour. Near the front of the school I found a short wall surrounding a small tree garden. I noticed there was a girl sitting there. She had deep brown eyes and auburn hair that was down to her shoulders and almost glowed like fire in the sunlight, and she seemed to be in deep thought. I didn't want to disturb her eating and thinking in peace if that was what she wanted, so I sat a little away from her. I took out my notebook again and began writing down what I'd seen so far that might be important. Everything was quiet for a few minutes. That is, until my stomach started growling.

My cheeks went red because I noticed the other girl looking over at me.

She smiled. "If you're hungry, I'm willing to share," she offered shyly.

"Oh, no, it's fine—you don't have to do that," I replied, my cheeks still feeling hot.

"Trust me, I don't mind. I actually brought some extra today... kind of a weird coincidence, huh?" She scooted closer to me and handed me some kind of pastry I didn't remember seeing before.

"Um. Thank you," I said, feeling a little confused, but it was nice of her to be so inviting when she didn't even know me.

The pastry tasted rather strange, I decided against saying that out loud though, and anyway I was too hungry to really mind.

"I know we just met, but have you seen a tall boy with sky blue hair?" she asked suddenly, turning to meet my eyes.

"Juvia thinks she saw him in her class," I replied, nibbling on the pastry. "Why?"

"Well, I met him this morning and he was really helpful to me, but I don't know his name and didn't get the chance to thank him," she said. "Oh, and I'm Nagisa, by the way. I'm sorry for being so open and I haven't even told you my name," she said apologetically.

"Nagisa-san shouldn't worry about it, Juvia doesn't mind."

"Who's Juvia?" she asked.

My cheeks heated up again and I looked to the ground in embarrassment. "Juvia is me," I said, pointing to myself pathetically.

"Oh!" Nagisa exclaimed, blinking dumbly. "I'm sorry! Well, you have a very pretty name, Juvia. Does it mean anything?"

"Juvia is pretty sure it comes from the word 'lluvia'—it's Spanish for rain," I told her.

"Really? Is there a reason your parents named you that?" she asked.

"Not that Juvia knows of."

Come to think of it, what possible reason could there be for a name like that?

"Well, I think it's really pretty," she said, smiling. "Wait, you're new here, aren't you?" Nagisa asked.

"Yes, Juvia just started today, actually."

"Do you like it?" she asked. The question caught me off-guard.

"Juvia isn't exactly sure yet, but in the end she thinks she will," I replied, my lips twisting into a grin.

I had only known this girl for five minutes, and yet she seemed so open, like I could tell her everything about my real school and why I was here and she would hardly be fazed at all. Of course I couldn't tell her—at least not yet—but I silently promised I would one day.

I grabbed my notebook and the rest of my pastry. I put my notebook into my bag and stood up.

"Juvia is sorry, but she has to get back to class. It was nice meeting you, Nagisa-san. Oh, and Juvia must thank Nagisa-san again for sharing her pastry," I added.

"It was nice meeting you, too," Nagisa replied, "I'll see you around at school sometime."

I walked back toward the building, waving. When I was near the entrance, I looked back to where she was sitting. To my surprise, I saw the blue-haired boy I had seen in my class walk toward her and greet her. I smiled.

Apparently Ryou's prediction had been right.

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*Author's Note:* Thank you so much for reading, and big thanks to CeeCee Dragneel for all her help editing. Please leave a review and tell me what you think, and follow and favorite!


	2. In which there is bad news

**Chapter 2:**

 _In which there is bad news._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _I found myself alone in an endless golden grassland, and out of nowhere, I can hear a familiar voice call out my name._

* * *

"Hey! Are you up yet, or what?" The loud voice and insistent pounding on the door of the dorm room was quite the rude awakening. I sighed, knowing exactly who it was, and I marched over to give him a stern telling-off about waking me up like that for the third time this week.

"Natsu, how many times do I have to tell you just to knock gently?" I opened the door, annoyed, and the sakura-haired boy standing outside looked at me with innocent hazel eyes and gave me the sweetest grin, If I wasn't so used to it I might have melted right there. I gave in and decided to spare him any more of my lecturing.

"C'mon Luce, we have to go to a meeting with Gramps, remember?" he said, leaning on the frame of the doorway.

"Oh, that's right," I recalled. "Does he have a job he wants us to do?" I asked, and gestured with my hand for him to step in.

"Don't know," he answered as he walked in, and I closed the door behind him. "But it sounded like it was important."

"Well you still need to- OW!" I exclaimed as I felt sharp claws climbing up my back. "Happy..!" I grumbled, The feline always seemed to enjoy annoying me. "I can't hold you if you don't let me see you first," I scolded the kitten as he perched himself on my shoulder. I scratched a spot behind his ear.

"Mrow!" Happy said emphatically, as if to say "I'm a cat; I'll do whatever I want, lady."

With Happy still on my shoulder, Natsu and I left the girls' dorm through the front double door entrance. We took the sidewalk for a few blocks. As we walked, Natsu often glanced at me with a worried frown. It startled me because he didn't have that expression often.

"Lucy," he said quietly, "I think I might know what this is all about." He almost seemed distraught and it worried me.

"What is it?" I asked. Natsu acted like this very rarely.

"Last week, when Lisanna left on her last job, she told me when she was supposed to come back… that was five days ago," he said, somberly.

"You mean… she might be missing?" I asked, feeling nervous and worried now. The thought that something bad could have happened to the sweet-natured animal lover was terrible.

"At first I thought maybe she just got held up," he said, "but after five days I feel like we should have heard from her if she planned to be back late." He stopped walking and turned to look at me. He was grimacing, a look I never liked to see on him. "I just hope she's alright," he said faintly.

I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "I'm worried about her too," I assured him. "If it turns out Master called us for another reason, we'll ask him if he knows anything about her. After all, she may have checked in with him first if she planned to be back later."

"Maybe," Natsu considered, perking up a bit. "But I'm just anticipating something bad—I don't know why, but I can just feel it."

"Honestly, I can feel it, too," I admitted. "I just hope that isn't what this is about."

Suddenly, Natsu took my hand and entwined it with his own. We didn't say anything else as we walked until we reached a secluded building that was down a path off the road. It has ordinary wooden siding, painted a rustic red that corresponded beautifully with the falling autumn leaves. Over the front door read the words in large curly letters "Fairy Academy Main Office."

We entered through the front door, and standing inside was a beautiful woman with white, opal-colored hair. She stood behind a large oak desk and was slightly taller than me, but her sapphire eyes still met mine.

"Hello Lucy, Natsu. You're here to see the master, right?" she asked as she shuffled some papers in front of her.

"Hey Mirajane," I said back and tossed her a smile. She seemed a little out of it today. "We have an appointment with him," I added as we approached her.

"Go right in, he's expecting you," she said blankly.

We went down a hallway and past a few doors and we entered the master's office upon finding it. He was sitting at his desk, waiting for us. To our surprise, he was looking very grim. My stomach sank. He was usually a cheerful, ridiculous man.

"Please sit down, you two," he said, almost commanding. we obeyed and sat in the two orange-colored chairs in front of his desk.

"What did you want to see us for?" I asked, although now I was almost sure Natsu was right.

"I'm afraid it isn't any trivial matter," he said, looking us right in the eyes. "You may have noticed by now, but Lisanna hasn't returned yet."

We nodded sadly. The bad feeling we had seemed to ring true.

"We sent Elfman to the job site to see if she was there, but unfortunately she was not," he said, shaking his head.

I noticed Natsu grab my hand again. "We talked to the townspeople, but they said they haven't seen her since two nights before she was to leave; a week ago now. She didn't say anything to them about leaving, and sadly that means we can only assume this may have involved a second person."

I realized we were all starting to tear up. "Like a kidnapping?" I asked hesitantly, not wanting to hear the answer.

"Perhaps…," Master said solemnly, "...or a murder." My breath hitched and I couldn't hold back the sob that jarred my body into Natsu's.

I felt Natsu's arm wrap around my shoulder, pulling me further into him. I turned my face into his chest, my tears soaking his scarf. Happy mewed and hopped down into my lap, looking up at me with his big brown eyes. It made me want to cry all the more.

I felt Natsu shake with anger. It made me angry, too. She can't… really be dead, right? Whoever did this would pay.

"No!" Natsu cried, the sound startling me. "If she's out there, we're gonna find her! And if some bastard dared lay a finger on her, they're gonna have hell to pay!" He slammed his fist on the desk, rattling the pencil holder on its surface.

"Natsu, I know what you're feeling, and this is hard for all of us—but we have to face the fact that she is most likely gone," Master sounded sorrowful.

Natsu got up and started toward the door without responding. I quickly said a tearful goodbye to Master and followed the pink-haired boy before he could run off, Happy having returned to my shoulder. I could see Mirajane trying to mask her sobs as we walked out—she was Lisanna's sister after all, this loss must be harder for her than anyone else. I thought of trying to comfort her, but I was in no state to do so at the moment.

As we walked silently back in the direction of the Fairy Hills girls' dorm, my tears having slowly dried, a thought crossed my mind.

"Natsu..." I began uncertainly, "you don't think he's hiding something, do you? Do you think this is like what happened with—with her?" I asked, trying my best not to bring up the painful memory.

"No," Natsu answered after a moment of silence. His tone would have surprised me if I weren't accustomed to his common mood swings. "I refuse to believe she's dead until I see proof for myself," he added stubbornly.

"Look, this is hard on everyone right now, but trying to deny the truth only makes it worse," I said sadly. Although I desperately wanted to believe she was alive, all of the signs seemed to point to her being truly gone.

"How do you know it's the truth?" he asked, and I was taken aback because the way he said it made it seem like he was upset with me. "He never said there was any clear evidence of a murder, but he was pretty quick to say she was dead," he pointed out.

I sighed. He was right—but then why would Master say that? I thought once again he must have been hiding something.

"That's true, Natsu," a voice called from behind us. I turned and realized Master had followed us. "I'm afraid you're right; I wasn't being entirely honest," he said. "I apologize, I should have told you right out."

"Then tell us the truth," Natsu demanded.

"You were right about there being no evidence," he stated flatly. "That's just it, there's no evidence of a murder or of a kidnapping. She's simply vanished into thin air." The omnicity of this statement sent shivers down my spine.

"What? How is that possible?" My mind was racing. I clutched Natsu's arm, feeling like I needed something to stable myself.

"We don't know," Master answered. I wanted to scream at the frustration those words brought, because, What kind of answer was that? She couldn't possibly have _actually_ vanished into nothing. There must have been some other explanation—we just weren't looking hard enough—and it perplexed me that he seemed to be taking the easy way out.

"Well, we have to find out," Natsu was matter-of-fact. "Will you Let us investigate this?"

"I don't know about that," Master reluctantly answered. "With Juvia and Erza investigating that school, I need you here in case backup is required."

Natsu growled. He forcibly moved my hand and stomped over to Master. His seething anger was so evident that it almost scared me. "Let the school be damned—how could you possibly say that's more important than Lisanna!" Natsu started shaking, and I didn't know what to do. I hadn't seen him this worked up since… since the _incident_.

"Of course that's not as important," Master said calmly, seemingly unperturbed by Natsu's behavior. "Obviously we're going to investigate the job site further, however if Juvia and Erza do happen to need backup you two along with Gray and Wendy are my best choices."

"Gramps please, I always told her I'd find her no matter what, and this is exactly when she needs it." Natsu was almost on the edge of tears again, and it broke me heart. I slowly approached him, placing my hand comfortingly on the small of his back. Happy jumped from my arm onto Natsu's shoulder, rubbing his face on Natsu's cheek.

"Alright, I'll allow you to investigate into the town she was in on one condition," master said, and I was relieved that he was willing to compromise. "If I tell you to come back in the middle of your investigation you will do so, no exceptions, unless of course you find out what happened to her."

"We will, I promise," Natsu agreed, visibly relaxing.

The master turned around in the direction of the office building and strolled back down the road. Natsu and I continued to the dorm room, and Happy jumped down from Natsu's shoulder and walked alongside us.

When we entered my room, Natsu sat on Juvia's bed and looked around the room, taking everything in even though he had seen it a million times. I understood that he was trying to distract himself.

Juvia and I had painted our room when we were younger, a task that had seemed so fun at the time. The two sides of the room colored completely different seemed a little ridiculous to us now, but it was sentimental in a way. My side was painted a midnight blue, similar in color to our friend Wendy's hair, and I had painted stars and the moon over it to create a clear night sky.

Juvia's side on the other hand was painted grey and blue with raindrops rolling down. However instead of it feeling gloomy, it was instead almost peaceful to look at. Our walls contrasted but we thought it was nostalgic, like we could go back to being kids again when we would play here for hours and pretend we were astronauts and scuba divers.

I realized Natsu was staring at me and I turned to him, eyebrows raised questioningly.

He caught on and spoke up. "Would you wanna come over to the guys' dorm tonight?" he asked. "We need to make a plan." He rolled onto his back, staring at star-painted ceiling, waiting for my answer.

"Sure," I agreed.

It might seem odd to some people for us to stay the night at each other's dorms, but to us it was something normal we had done since we were children. Back then and to this day all of us in the strange Fairy Academy have only ever had (and needed) each other. We were comfortable in the same way family would be. Things like sleepovers with the boys, holding each other, kisses on the forehead, even the lips (although that didn't happen as often), were not uncommon—or even felt romantically intimate to us. They were simply ways we showed affection and comforted each other at times.

While that may be weird to someone who wasn't one of us, it didn't matter. It was how we did things and as long as we were all comfortable with it, where was the problem?

Realizing I had spaced out for a moment there, I glanced back at Natsu sitting on Juvia's bed. Since I would be leaving for the night I decided I should write a note for Juvia, especially since I was worried about her having more nightmares. I grabbed a notepad off my desk and quickly jotted down my note.

 _Juvia, I'm going to be at Natsu's tonight. I hope you had a good day with your new job at the school. Also, be sure to call someone if you happen to have a nightmare again._

 _-Lucy_

I left the note on her bed and gathered a few things in an overnight bag. A knock sounded on the door.

Natsu opened it, and a girl entered. She was less than a head shorter than me, and she wore a thigh-length white dress with a red ribbon tied around the waist and white knee socks. Her midnight blue hair was tied into long pigtails on either side of her head.

A pure white kitten poked it's head around the younger girl's leg, looking around the room almost cautiously.

The moment Happy spotted the cat he meowed loudly and didn't waste a second in running over to the other kitten. The cat—Carla, I remembered—hissed and tried to scratch Happy's face. This didn't deter Happy, however, and the oddly-colored blue cat still continued to try and play with her.

I turned my attention back to the girl. "Hello Wendy," I greeted her as I stuffed my pajamas into my backpack. "What brings you here?"

Wendy looked at me for a moment, considering, then her face fell a little.

"Actually, I'm looking for Erza," she explained. "When I woke up she was gone and no one has seen her all day."

"It's alright, Erza went with Juvia on her job, but apparently she didn't tell anybody," I reassured her.

I figured that the news about Lisanna's mysterious disappearance was spreading, and I could understand why Wendy was panicked to have woken up with her roommate gone as well.

Wendy looked relieved, and then confused. "Why wouldn't she tell anyone?" she asked, puzzled.

"Maybe it was last-minute," I guessed. "From what Juvia told me, I don't think she knew either."

"Well she could have at least left a note or something," Wendy said, sighing.

I thought that as long as Wendy was here, she could help us decide how to go about investigating Lisanna's job site—she was a member of our team after all—we could use her help.

"Why don't you come with us to Natsu's room for a little while?" I invited. "We're supposed to be making a plan to try and investigate the town Lisanna was in and hopefully find out what happened to her."

"Yes, I heard," she said sadly, "I hope she's alright—it would be terrible if anything happened to her..." She shook her head as if to rid of whatever she was thinking. "I'll do my best to help," she promised.

* * *

The boys' dorm room was a five-story building identical in design to Fairy Hills. The girls had made up a name for our dorm when we were children, and it stuck for whatever reason, but the boys' building never really had a name.

Natsu's room was on the first floor, the second room in the hall just behind the kitchen. When he opened the door, an object flew toward his face; Natsu wasn't quick enough to dodge, and so the football smacked him directly on his forehead. He stumbled back in surprise, bumping into me. I nearly fell over but I managed to stay balanced, however Happy was not amused and he meowed loudly, jumping from my arms and trotting over to Natsu's mess of a bed.

"What's the big idea, jerk?!" Natsu addressed a raven-haired boy who was sitting on the second bed on the far side of the room, opposite from Natsu's.

I rolled my eyes. Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster were natural rivals; as different as fire and ice, yet somehow they ended up being roommates all these years. Then again, I knew they considered each other friends, and would even admit it despite their rivalry. That's just how us Fairies did things.

"The big idea," Gray said cooly, "is that you need to clean up some of your crap for once—no one can even walk on your side of the room."

It was true. Natsu's side looked like a natural disaster had hit it. Clothes, books, and random trinkets covered the floor, and the covers were hanging almost all the way off his bed. Gray's side was not entirely clean either, but it looked spotless in comparison.

I noticed the lump of clay on his desk that was formed into a half-finished tiger, along with various other clay sculptures sitting on a shelf above. Gray's real talent however, was his ice sculptures. There were several framed pictures on the wall of some of his best works; I thought It was a shame the sculptures couldn't be preserved.

He seemed to notice Wendy and I for the first time.

"Lucy, Wendy, please tell this idiot he needs to deal with this disaster."

"He does," I agreed, "but we have more important things to worry about right now."

Gray let out a breath and nodded somberly. To me, it felt like we had been calmer about the situation than we should have been. I realized we were subconsciously trying to distract ourselves, not wanting to think of the prospect that our friend was gone.

Natsu closed the door behind us when Wendy and I entered the room, Carla following behind. She went to Gray's side of the room, as far away as she could from Happy.

The three of us sat on Natsu's bed and started discussing what our plan would be.

"We should question all the townspeople, and look at all possible security footage where she was at," Natsu suggested at once.

"Slow down," I warned. "The first thing we need to do is go to the job site and look for any potential clues or evidence; signs of a struggle, fingerprints, anything like that."

"Yes," Gray agreed. "If we can find some solid evidence, we could get the police working with us," he added.

"I'm not sure we want that," I said, unsure. "That could cause some problems for us, and We can't afford to use anymore favors right now."

"I guess that's true, but shouldn't we at least file a missing person's report?" he asked.

"I think Master already did," Wendy put in.

Our conversation was cut short when we heard a knock on the door.

I don't know why, but when I heard that knock, my stomach sank. I had a feeling this day was only going to get worse.

.

.

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	3. In which things get more complicated

**Chapter 3:**

 _In which things get more complicated._

 _._

 _._

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When I left the school yard where Nagisa and I had been talking, I went straight for the D3 classroom. To my relief the only person there was Erza, sitting at the teacher's desk looking through students papers.

She wore a black, long sleeve top and a plaid skirt that flitted just above the knee. Her long scarlet hair was tied back into a high ponytail. I suppose I had been too distracted to notice earlier.

"Erza-san?" I knocked on the doorframe to let her know I was there.

"Hello Juvia." She looked up from the papers she was shuffling through, giving me her full attention. "I suppose you're here to ask how I ended up going undercover with you," she guessed.

"Yes," I said, stepping into the room fully.

"Master only told me this morning," she said. "He needed a person undercover with the staff as well."

We had wondered whether the staff was part of the problem with this school, but Master had decided they weren't. Had something occurred to change his mind?

"So if Erza-san is going to stay, why did she say she was just a substitute teacher? Where is the real teacher?" I asked.

"The real teacher just resigned last week. Master saw that as an opportunity for me to step in; I'm currently a substitute but if it goes well they may hire me as the full time teacher of this class," the older scarlet-haired woman explained.

"So what exactly is Erza-san's job here? Is she going to try and get closer to the teachers and Principal and get them to trust her?"

Erza nodded. "That's the gist of it. As you know, we suspect that the school might be bringing in delinquent students from other schools that don't want them as a way to 'increase the student population,' which would normally be a good thing—however they don't expand anything else and the students get out of control." Her face then turned serious and her voice lowered an octave. "We have to figure out how to put a stop to it. Not only will it save all of these kid's academic futures, but our team will receive a multitude of favors from the Academy; and we really could use them right now."

I nodded. Master had given me the full rundown of the job when he chose me. But I had a feeling that things were worse than we anticipated.

Just then the warning bell rang, and I quickly stepped away from Erza before anyone could walk in. We needed to avoid any sort of suspicion.

I had only just sat in my desk when the blue-haired boy from earlier walked in. Tomoya, I remembered.

His attention was apparently drawn to me—probably because I was the new girl, and the only student in the room at the moment. Now that I looked at him more closely, he reminded me of someone. Somehow it made me feel more comfortable.

"Uh… hi," I stammered out, feeling awkward. I tucked my hands into my lap, staring at him shyly.

"Hi," he said, sounding puzzled at first, then he seemed to realize I was trying to be friendly. "You just transferred here, right? Where from?"

I was facing this question on the first day? I guess I knew it would happen at some point.

"A school in the next town," I answered, being vague. I supposed it wasn't entirely a lie.

"The next town? Did you move?" he asked, approaching me and taking the seat beside me. I assumed he would move once the person who sat next to me arrived.

"No, Juvia still lives there," I answered. The next town, Magnolia, could barely even be separated from this town on a map. Sometimes people thought it was all the same place.

"Then why are you at a school all the way over here?"

I realized I was not convincing him in the slightest that there wasn't more to it.

"Hey, Okazaki!" a voice yelled from the doorway.

Standing there was a boy with blond hair who was slightly shorter than me. He wore the same uniform as the rest of us.

"Oh hey, is this that new girl?" He turned to me, and gave me a long look. "If you think about it, she kinda looks like the girl version of you Okazaki," he cackled. "That's a disturbing thought."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or gag. So obnoxious guys like this really did exist.

"Sunohara, shouldn't you be getting to your own class?" Tomoya asked the boy.

"Who cares, they'll barely miss me," he scoffed. He apparently didn't notice Erza sitting there.

The scarlet-haired woman twitched with anger. "You!" she shouted. "Do you think you can just sacrifice your education like that?! Scoundrel!"

Sunohara flinched and squeaked, "N-n-no, ma'am!"

"That's what I thought," Erza said warningly. "Now get to your class this instant!"

He was out the door faster than a bolt of lightning. My mouth hung open. I knew part of this job was to put troublemakers in their place, but that was overdoing it.

The rest of the class began to arrive, probably from the courtyard or other areas of the school where they were eating lunch with friends. Tomoya stood and waved to me before heading to his own desk at the other side of the room.

The afternoon class continued much like the morning class had. Erza had proved to be a competent teacher despite being rather intimidating. Eventually we were dismissed for another break. I was planning on staying in class to write some notes in my journal, but I was surprised when Tomoya approached me once again.

"Hey," the blue-haired boy said, "if you want, I could give you a tour of the school. I don't have anything better to do right now."

"Thank you, Juvia would like that." I decided to take the offer. Was this how people made friends in a normal school? I was worried it wasn't just that; he probably wanted to ask me questions since we had been interrupted earlier.

I followed him out into the hallways, which were fairly empty as most of the students had gone out to the courtyard.

"So...," he began as we walked out to the main hall, "how did you end up coming to a school so far away from home? I didn't get to finish asking earlier."

My mind tried to come up with a believable reason, but the best I could do was mutter, "It's kind of complicated."

"Yeah, I get that," Tomoya said, scuffing his feet on the tile floor. "Complicated is pretty much my life right now," he chuckled.

I sighed. He didn't know that saying that only made me more hesitant to try to explain (which I could never do fully). I knew that if I brought him into the situation at all it would only cause more "complications" for the both of us.

However, for some odd reason, a need to have someone who knew about my strange situation washed over me like a wave. Suddenly, I didn't care, I just wanted to confide in someone.

"Well, Juvia is not exactly a normal student," I said, and there was no turning back now. "She's here on a job."

He blinked at me, confused. "What kind of job?"

I was about to tell him when suddenly there was a loud shout from somewhere within the school. I jumped at the sound, and Tomoya seemed to recognize whoever shouted, because his expression deadpanned and he muttered, "Not again…," taking off down the hallway and around a corner. I sighed, deciding to follow him. After all, if there was anything bad or suspicious going on, I was meant to record it in my journal to report to the master, and put a stop to what was going on.

On the other hand I couldn't believe what I had just been about to do. It was only the first day and I was already failing this mission and breaking the rules. Perhaps Master really had picked the wrong person for this job...

I shook these thoughts off and broke out into a jog to catch up with Tomoya. I followed him all the way out to the courtyard, where at least thirty students were crowded around something, watching intently. Some even whooped, chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" I groaned. Trouble already.

Tomoya went straight to the center of the students and I was right behind him—I needed to stop this, whatever it was.

In the very center of the crowd I recognized the obnoxious kid from earlier, Sunohara. He was glaring at a silver-haired girl and she was staring back with the same intensity. I couldn't hear what they were saying over the shouts, but I was preparing myself to step in when he lashed out at her with a fast punch. My eyes widened with surprise. Was he really that much of a jerk? I was about to rush out and stop the fight when the silver-haired girl caught his arm mid punch and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying back onto the grass.

The crowd cheered loudly at this, and my mouth gaped. How could they cheer for a fight? They _wanted_ people to get hurt? I would never understand "normal" people.

I shook those thoughts away when Sunohara stood up, pointing a finger accusingly at the silver-haired girl.

"You might have beat me but I'll get you next time damnit!" he shouted and ran away behind the back of the school. The silver-haired girl looked exasperated and appalled at the same time. She turned around and the crowd parted to make way for her, like she was some sort of queen.

"So she likes to intimidate them into leaving her alone, huh?" I muttered under my breath. "Just like Erza-san."

"What?" Tomoya asked from beside me, confusion riddled in his voice and expression.

"Oh, nothing" I answered quickly. I wasn't sure I could really explain it to him. Sometimes when Erza just needed to be alone she would shoot a death glare at anyone who tried to disturb her; it was something she had done as long as I'd know her. Everyone was used to it although we never really knew why she did it.

Then I turned to Tomoya. "Does Tomoya-kun know who that girl is?" I asked.

"Her name is Tomoyo Sakagami. I've never met her but I've seen her around—she has quite the reputation for beating up dumb guys like Sunohara," he answered.

I was admittedly curious about this girl. From what I could tell some of her techniques were similar to what we learned in training at Fairy Academy. Did she or other students end up in fights like that so often they had to learn how to defend themselves?

My main instinct was to follow her inside and observe her. I needed to see if my theory was correct, and stealth was one of my strong points after all.

"Juvia is… going to meet up with one of her friends, but it was nice talking to you, Tomoya-kun," I said, slowly slinking away in the general direction Tomoyo had gone.

Tomoya looked at me strangely, but nodded his head and shrugged. "Okay then. See you later, Juvia."

I entered through the front door of the building, and when I was inside I was careful to blend in with the rest of the students in the hall. I kept Tomoyo in my sight. I noticed her head over to the girls' bathroom, and debated whether I should follow her inside or wait.

I counted to ten and then carefully opened the door, finding her standing in front of the mirror looking at herself with scrutiny. I went to stand at a sink on the other side and casually started to wash my hands. She was examining her reflection with a sad look on her face. I couldn't tell if she was scrutinizing her appearance, or thinking of an unpleasant experience, or both. Then she looked at me like she had noticed I was staring the whole time.

"Can I help you?" she asked, not angrily, but she seemed annoyed.

"Sorry," I mumbled, "Juvia didn't mean to disturb you."

"Don't worry about it. Your name is Juvia right?" She turned fully towards me and I shut off the sink, grabbing a paper towel to dry my hands.

I nodded, looking her over curiously. There was something different about this girl that I couldn't quite pinpoint.

"I'm sorry you had to see that fight out there on your first day," she sounded so apologetic it almost made me feel guilty. I knew she thought she was talking to an innocent new student who didn't expect there to be a fight like that.

"It isn't Tomoyo-san's fault," I reassured her, not wanting her to think she was scaring me. Between Lucy and Erza, I had plenty of experience with scary women; she wasn't even close.

"How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.

"Juvia heard it from someone next to her when we were in the courtyard," I said quickly.

She sighed, looking away and turning back to her reflection in the mirror. "I should have known... Everyone at this school just knows me as the girl who beats people up."

"Juvia doesn't think of you that way—that guy was acting like an idiot."

"I suppose," she said quietly, as if lost in thought. Then she shook her head and made her way to the door. "It was nice talking to you, but I should go," she said. I could tell she wasn't very Interested in small talk.

"Goodbye," I called back, before I counted to ten and stepped back into the hall.

* * *

After I was finished helping out with cleaning at the school, I was on my way to catch the train back to Magnolia which would depart in fifteen minutes. It would take at least ten to walk to the station, so I was cutting it close again.

Erza ended up having to stop another fight that happened in the hallway later that day. She officially decided after it was over that we would have to bring in more students from the Academy.

"If we've already had more than one incident on the first day it's unlikely that we can do this alone; especially because most of it will be thrust on you—I'll be busy with the staff," she had said.

I figured Erza's team would be the best choice. They all worked so well together. I would ask Lucy when I got back.

When I reached the train station the train was already boarding passengers and I almost didn't make it on.

During the thirty minute train ride I had time to pull out my notebook and scribble down as many details of the day as I could recall. I needed to be more diligent about this and record my sightings once they happened, so I wouldn't forget later on. I was to turn in my journal to the Master for him to make copies of my notes once I got back.

By the time the train pulled into the station and I walked the rest of the way to Fairy Academy, I was exhausted. As I walked down the streets of our own little town (as we often referred it to), I noticed that the familiar faces I passed all looked sad and puzzled. I suddenly had the feeling that something was very wrong.

My heart skipped a beat at the implication. Magnolia was usually a very cheerful place, especially around harvest festival time. The mood of the people around me now was something like... mourning.

This had happened before—several years ago when a girl who lived here had died. The Whole town had mourned her death, but no one knew that it had been the Academy's fault.

Truthfully, Fairy Academy was Magnolia's biggest secret. In fact, not even the other townspeople knew about it.

I found Master's office quickly. I frowned when I didn't see the cheerful Mirajane at her desk. I slipped past anyway and to Master's door. I knocked gently.

"Come in," the Master said gruffly, and I slid open the door nervously. It was all too quiet. Something was definitely wrong.

"Juvia has her notebook for you," I said unsurly, taking a seat in front of his desk and placing the notebook in front of him. He took it carefully and opened to the first few pages and placed them in the copy machine to download the pages onto his computer.

The silence was unbearable. Every second that past made the atmosphere feel heavier. "Master… is something wrong?" I asked cautiously, almost fearing the answer.

Master blinked, as if coming out of deep thought, and nodded slowly. "Yes, my dear. However I feel as though I should not be the one to tell you. If you manage to find Natsu or Lucy, I would ask them."

I frowned. What could possibly have happened since this morning?

"Thank you for the notes, child. You are doing well." Master looked up at me to offer a soft smile, but I could still see the dazed look in his eyes.

"Thank you," I muttered and placed the notebook back in my bag. I stood and left the way I came in, hearing Master's deep sigh before the door closed behind me.

* * *

Once I reached the girls' dorm I immediately went upstairs to Lucy and I's room, hoping she would be there. There was no such luck, however, because I found a note from her on my bed.

 _Juvia, I'm going to be at Natu's tonight._

 _I hope you had a good day at your new job at the school. Also, be sure to call someone if you happen to have another nightmare._

 _-Lucy_

From what she said, it seemed like everything was fine, but I still couldn't shake the bad feeling, and Master himself had said something was wrong. I decided to go talk to Lucy myself, and hopefully get some reassurance.

When I reached the boys' dorm room I knocked on Natsu and Gray's door. After a long moment, Lucy opened it. I noticed that Wendy was there too. My little hope vanished, because the mood of the small group in the room matched that of what I felt in the town.

"Juvia…," Lucy began, but she couldn't finish what she was saying. She started to cry, unable to hold her tears back.

This set off the rest of the group as Wendy burst into tears and hid her face in Gray's shoulder. Gray's eyes seemed to water but he kept his expression stoic, almost as if he was afraid to acknowledge whatever was wrong. Natsu cried the loudest with snot dripping grossly down his nose.

Without warning, Lucy wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.

"What's going on here?" I asked, worried. This was very strange behavior coming from my usually chipper friends.

Lucy sniffed hard and squeezed me tighter before slightly pulling away to look at me. "Lisanna, she…"

My eyes widened, the beat of my heart increasing. "I-is Lisanna-san alright? Is she hurt?"

"She's… missing," Lucy said, almost choking on the words.

I stopped short, my mind racing, trying to comprehend what she meant.

"Missing...," I finally gulped, "how exactly?"

"She was doing a job in the town where your school is, and she just suddenly disappeared out of thin air," Lucy explained softly.

I felt tears well up in my eyes at this news. I quickly returned Lucy's embrace, breathing in deeply, trying to calm myself. My thoughts became scattered, but I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to tell them that they were to come to the school for backup. Now didn't feel like the right time.

So instead I pulled away from Lucy and wiped my eyes, offering her a small smile. "We will find Lisanna-san, don't worry. For now Juvia thinks we should rest for tonight and come up with a plan tomorrow."

Lucy nodded slowly. "You're right. We won't have any luck if we don't get some rest."

None of us liked it, but we decided just to hang around Natsu and Gray's room for the night and try to not get too caught up in worrying.

In the back of my mind, as I settled down with a blanket and pillow on the floor next to Wendy and her kitten, I knew tomorrow I would have no choice but to make things more complicated.

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* * *

A/N: Hello, I apologize for taking so long to update this, but I do plan to continue it.

Also, you should check my friend CeeCee Dragneel's Fairy Tail fanfiction "Diary—Ehem, Journal—of a High School Outcast" and please leave a kind review for her :)


	4. In which there is another world

**Chapter 4:**

 _In which there is another world_

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We stood together silently, waiting for the train. I still felt awkward in the new school uniform, even after Juvia and Wendy had insisted that it complimented the color of my hair.

"Juvia keeps apologizing for this, but she really is sorry," Juvia broke the silence regretfully. "Juvia didn't mean to get you all involved."

"We know it's not your fault," I reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. The blue-haired girl had continuously apologized for the past week, despite the situation being out of her control. It was obvious how guilty she felt, having to call us in for backup at the school, when we should have been focused on finding out what happened to Lisanna.

"Besides," Wendy added, "since the school is in the same town where Lisanna disappeared, Master said we were allowed to investigate after school."

That would be the plan, anyway. I could barely focus even then, standing there, as my mind wandered to Lisanna, hoping and praying that she was safe. I didn't know how I was going to get this job done. She should be our top priority.

Erza and Gray had left an hour before us, as they were both a year older than the third year class, so they had been assigned to work with the school staff instead. I still had a hard time imagining Erza as a teacher, but according to Juvia, she did well.

When the train pulled up we stepped inside, quickly finding a seat near the back, so it would be easier to talk without disturbing anyone. Natsu looked queasy and I sighed to myself, patting the spot on my lap. He wasted no time in resting his head there.

"I don't think I can handle riding the train every day," Natsu whined pitifully. His face nearly looked green and sweat wetted the start of his bangs.

"I hate to tell you this, but we haven't even started moving yet," I said, resisting a sheepish smile.

"Here," Wendy handed Natsu a thermos she had been carrying with her. "This tea is made to help with motion sickness; it usually works for me."

Natsu sat up and gingerly took a sip. He made a face at first, but continued until the thermos was half-empty. Within minutes he started to regain the natural color in his face. When the train started moving, he, to my shock, didn't fall ill. Instead, he spent the duration of the train ride looking out the window in awe.

"So this is what riding a train is really like?" he said as he squished his face against the glass, watching the scenery pass by. I giggled at his reaction. It was rather cute. "Where'd you get this miracle tea, Wendy?" he demanded, turning to the midnight blue-haired girl.

Wendy blushed, a bashful smile lighting up her face. "Well… actually, I made the blend myself."

As humble as she was, she deserved the praise. Wendy was a natural healer; she always knew what to do when one of us was sick or hurt. It was easy to see her being a nurse, or even a doctor, in the future. And she wasn't just good with using medicine—she often came up with her own remedies, like the tea.

I sat back and tried to relax for the last few minutes of the train ride. Still, my mind kept going back to Lisanna. _Please be okay._

* * *

In the main courtyard of the school, Juvia was showing us to the main entrance. The area surrounding the entrance was empty, aside from two people who were sitting together on the lawn—a shorter girl with shoulder-length auburn hair and a boy with sky blue hair.

They didn't seem to notice us at first, but as we got closer, they looked our way. To my surprise, they both waved and called, "Hey, Juvia!" at the same time, then looked at each other in confusion.

"You made friends already?" I asked, a small smile on my face. "That's our Juvia. You're shy but make new friends pretty easily."

She blushed at that, looking down humbly. Natsu nodded in agreement, a large grin on his face, and Wendy giggled.

"Wait, you know Juvia too?" the girl stared at the boy with eyes wide.

"She's in the same class as me," he explained. He looked back at us and made a motion with his hand for us to come closer, and then turned back to the girl. "How do you know her?"

We met in the courtyard a few days ago. We've been having lunch together."

We followed Juvia as she went to sit next to them. I walked beside Natsu, our shoulders brushing, while Wendy held onto my opposite arm, a nervous habit of hers. "Hello, Nagisa-san, Tomoya-kun, how are you?" asked Juvia. We stood beside her awkwardly, not daring to say a word.

"I'm doing alright," the girl replied, smiling.

The boy turned to look at Natsu, Wendy and I all standing there in silence. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but the way his eyes kept darting to us told me he was suspicious.

"Are these your friends, Juvia?" he asked, turning to said girl.

"Yes," the blue-haired girl replied carefully. "They went to my old school with me."

I froze, unsure if she should have said this. It could raise too many questions.

"Lucy-san will be in class with us," Juvia told him, pointing to me. "And I believe Natsu-kun will be in B class with you, Nagisa-san," she said, now pointing at the sakura-haired boy beside me.

Nagisa turned to look at him, a curious smile lighting up her face. "You're named after summer? That's so cute!" she gushed, clasping her hands together.

Natsu's cheeks tinted at that and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Speaking of class, Juvia should go get Lucy-san settled before everyone else gets there," Juvia said.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," said Nagisa. I'm not sure why, but I felt as though she truly meant it and wasn't just being friendly.

"See you in class," Tomoya added.

I followed Juvia into the school, looking around with interest as we made our way through the halls. I had never been to a real school before, and it all seemed so strange to me.

She led me to a door reading "class D3." As we entered, I noticed Erza sitting at the teacher's desk. She turned to us when she sensed our presence.

"It's good to have you here, Lucy. Hopefully now we can move forward with the job at hand," she said quietly as she shuffled through a stack of papers on her desk.

I gave her a small nod, but deep down I knew I couldn't truly focus on the job when every second was precious time that should have been spent looking for Lisanna.

What if she was in danger? I felt awful at the thought that she could be suffering, but we were here instead. Why wasn't finding her the top priority? I thought once again about the possibility of Master knowing something we didn't—just like last time.

Erza seemed to realize what I was thinking. She sighed deeply. "Trust me, I wish we were out looking for her, too," she said sadly, looking back down at her desk as if to avoid our eyes. "However we can not back out of this now; we'll have to deal with investigating after school for the time being."

"I understand," I replied dubiously, exhaling slowly to calm the swell of emotion that wanted to take over me.

"Umm, Erza-san," Juvia put in, trying to lighten the mood, "do you know what Gray-sama's job here at the school is?"

"I think Master got him into a guidance counselor position," she replied. "It doesn't exactly suit him, but that was probably the point."

Juvia huffed, a cute frown on her face. "Now other students are going to start competing for Gray-sama's attention," she mumbled under her breath.

I giggled a little. If you ever met Juvia casually, you probably wouldn't expect how silly her little crush on Gray could make her act sometimes.

Erza's lips curled into a half-smile at her comment. Then her expression changed and she gave us a much more serious look.

"Before the class arrives, you two should know that some students have been raising concern about a rumour; apparently there's been talk of a serious fight happening later today." She told us, "we can't be certain that these rumours hold any merit, but I'd like you to keep an eye out."

Before we could reply, I felt the air shift around us, and then sound of a door opening. We all turned our attention the classroom door. A girl shyly poked her head in through the crack, before slowly opening it to reveal the rest of her. She was a few inches shorter than myself, with violet hair cut just above her shoulders.

"Ms. Scarlet, is this the new student I heard was joining us?" The girl asked timidly, as if not wanting to be mistaken.

"Yes, this is Lucy." Erza gestured to me. The short-haired girl seemed relieved and she perked up a bit, offering me a smile. "Lucy, this is Fujibayashi Ryou, the class leader."

I bowed politely and reached out to shake the girl's hand once she approached me. "Hello, you can call me Lucy."

The purple-haired girl smiled brightly. "And you can call me Ryou. It's nice to meet you."

"Ryou, would you mind showing Lucy to an available desk?" Erza requested.

She nodded and showed me to the desk next to Juvia's, which thankfully wasn't being used. I felt much more comfortable sitting next to Juvia rather than complete strangers.

I sat down as I noticed more students begin to enter; many looking at me curiously, which I suppose I should have expected since I was new, but it was rather unnerving.

I noticed Juvia's friend from earlier—Tomoya, was it?—start to sit down at his desk, but stopped when his eyes landed on us. He set his bag down in his seat and then approached us.

"Hello Tomoya-kun," Juvia greeted him, smiling. "Is there something Juvia can help you with?"

"Actually, yes," he replied, leaning against Juvia's desk. "I was wondering if either of you knew anything about drama."

We both looked at him, confused. "Drama?" we asked in unison.

"I don't know if you've seen the flyers around the school, but I'm helping Nagisa revive the drama club, and was wondering if you were interested."

"Nagisa-san did say something about that," Juvia said thoughtfully. Her eyes flitted to me, about to ask a silent question, but she turned her attention back to Tomoya.

"Why don't you think about it and talk to us after school today?" he suggested, moving away from Juvia's desk to stand straighter. He looked hopefully at the two of us.

Juvia nodded eagerly. "We'd like to help if we can."

I couldn't help but feel like this was an empty promise, however. After all, we wouldn't have time for simple club activities on top of all the work involved with this job. Even so, maybe we could at least help them revive the club.

Ryou's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Can everyone please take their seats and I'll start taking attendance," she announced, raising her voice just enough for everyone to hear her. She stood at the front of the classroom holding a clipboard and pen.

As everyone sat down in their seats, she began to read off the list of names. A sudden panic hit me when I noticed she was calling the students' last names.

One of the reasons I had joined Fairy Academy was to escape my association with my last name—I wanted nothing to do with my family, or that name. I wished I could have made up a fake one when registering, but Master had said that it could lead to complications when they did the background check, and we didn't have the time to deal with that. I still hadn't assumed that they would call out everyone's last name every morning. I should have known better; what did I know about normal schools?

I was so wrapped up in these thoughts that I didn't notice until it was too late.

"Heartfilia Lucy."

I visibly cringed as I muttered, "Here." Staring down at my desk, I could only hope no one had made the connection.

When I finally dared to look up, Juvia gave me a sympathetic look, a silent way of telling me she was sorry she hadn't warned me about this. I gave her a tight-lipped smile, letting her know she didn't need to blame herself.

When everyone was called, Ryou sat down at her own desk as Erza began teaching. She was, as Juvia had said, a skilled teacher, even if she must have been rather intimidating to the students who didn't know her well.

The class worked in complete silence, too afraid to interrupt Erza, and before I knew it the bell rang to dismiss us for a break. I was glad for it; I needed to clear my head a bit.

Juvia showed me around the school, and even began drawing a map so I could find my way around if something came up and she wasn't there. I assumed it wouldn't take me long to get used to the layout of the building, but having the map was still reassuring.

Eventually, we made it out to the front of the school where we met Natsu and Wendy. We found a place to sit on the lawn, where there weren't other students within earshot.

"I don't get why we have to sit through boring classes about things we already know," Natsu grumbled. "It's not like it helps with the job."

"We have to blend in as much as possible. Not even the faculty know what we're really here for; they just think we're here to set an example for the other students," I pointed out.

"That's right, Lucy," a voice said from behind me. I turned my head to see Erza had come to join us, along with Gray. I wondered if that was a good idea—it would look suspicious if anyone saw us talking so casually with people who they thought were just school staff.

"We must do our best not to worry the students by standing around watching every move they make," she chided as she found a spot on the grass by me and sat down.

Gray sat down next to Juvia. She wasted no time in resting her head on his shoulder. The raven haired boy didn't seem fazed by this. After knowing her for so long he was used to how forward she could be about her feelings sometimes, and he clearly didn't mind all that much.

"Never mind that." Natsu had turned to address Erza. "Right now we need to focus on how we're going to find Lisanna."

At this we all fell silent. So far we hadn't found any information whatsoever, but now we had an opportunity to fully investigate where she disappeared. Part of me was scared to do this; I was too afraid of finding nothing, or worse, finding that this really was a murder. After a long moment, I found myself saying as much, although I hadn't meant to say it out loud.

Then, Natsu placed his hand comfortingly on my shoulder.

"Believe me, I just know she's out there somewhere. I can feel it."

I sighed, trying to calm my thoughts. There was something about Natsu that made you inclined to believe him even when it seemed like all hope was lost.

I looked up and caught him staring at me, his expression firm. When our eyes locked, he softened, the fiery look in his irises subduing. He kept his hand on my shoulder, hesitating before lowering his head and placing a gentle kiss above my right eyebrow. He lingered there for a moment and then pulled away, grinning at me.

My heart warmed. It was his way of comforting others. He wasn't the best at telling how he felt, but he could certainly show it.

I felt much better now than I had since this whole situation began. I knew it was foolish trying to hide what I was thinking from my friends—perhaps I hadn't wanted them to worry or lose hope. In the end however, they would always be there.

I wasn't alone.

* * *

After classes were dismissed for the day, we decided to explore the library before we left. The shelves held a large amount of reading books for the students as well as spare textbooks and many reference materials. Master had suggested that we look in the library for information on the history of the school. We still had yet to find what we were searching for, but it felt almost soothing to be in the library. The quiet peacefulness of the room compared to the rest of the school was a welcome change.

As I perused through the fiction shelves, I couldn't stop myself from taking several books that I wanted to check out and read. In the end I narrowed it down to only two; there wouldn't be much time to waste on reading when we had two important jobs to focus on.

I found the others sitting at one of the round study tables at the front of the room.

"There you are," Natsu said as I sat down in the chair on his left. His eyes landed on the books I was carrying. "You're as bad as Levy," he chuckled.

I smirked. "Well there are definitely worse things to be addicted to."

I looked over at the others and noticed that they were all examining the same book.

"Lucy, you should look at this," Wendy said, sliding the book across the table to me.

"Is this what we were looking for?" I asked.

"Not exactly—we couldn't find anything about the school's history." she replied. I picked up the book, reading the title.

 _The Edolas Theory_ — _Is there another world?_

I raised my eyebrows. looking back and forth between Wendy and Juvia, trying to read their expressions.

Wendy got up from her seat and came to stand next to me. She opened the book and flipped through the pages until she found the one she wanted, before setting it back down on the table.

"It says here that there have been several other mysterious disappearances in this town," she said.

"And you think they disappeared into another world?" I asked skeptically.

"No, of course not, but we thought that these disappearances were similar to the way Lisanna seemed to have vanished out of thin air. So it's possible they might be connected somehow," she explained.

"And not only that but these disappearances have been recorded over a hundred years apart," Juvia said. "That means that this isn't a serial kidnapper or killer."

I looked at them warily. "Do you really think this could be connected to Lisanna?"

"We're not sure, but it's all we have to go on right now." Wendy said.

I was good that we had something to get us started in our investigation, but we couldn't even be sure that it had anything to do with the situation.

The idea of there being another world wasn't really something I could wrap my head around, much less that people magically disappeared and ended up in this other world. We couldn't write it off as a possibility, though, until we had proof that such a thing existed or not.

We were getting nowhere.

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* * *

 **Once again I'm sorry for taking so long to update this story. I guess I still have some improving to do in my writing, but I'm going to try to update more frequently. I hope you're enjoying the story. :)**


	5. In which the mystery continues

**Chapter 5:**

 _In which the mystery continues._

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* * *

Relief swept over me when I peered out the window in the library, surveying the front lawn, to find Nagisa and Tomoya sitting together on the grass. While we were busy researching I had completely forgotten about our promise to meet with them after school. I sat up straighter in my chair and caught Lucy's eyes. She nodded, already knowing what I was thinking.

"Juvia and Lucy-san have to go," I explained to the others. "They promised a classmate of theirs that they would help them today." I went through a quick explanation of the drama club and how Tomoya and Nagisa wanted us to help them revive it.

"Are you sure you want to commit to that?" Gray asked. "I mean, you can't really promise to be members of the club when we have a job we're supposed to be doing."

"Juvia would feel bad if she didn't at least _try_ to help Tomoya-kun and Nagisa-san get the drama program started again," I said as I stood up, gathering my bag. Lucy got up too, and we started for the door.

"Just make sure you're not making promises you can't keep," Erza called as we were about to leave the library.

"Don't worry, we won't," Lucy reassured, turning back to look at her. She waved at the others as we left the room.

When we made it out to the front lawn Nagisa was the first to notice us. "Juvia, Lucy!" she called, waving her hand to get our attention.

"I'm glad you two are here," she said when we approached them. "I was afraid you might not be able to make it."

"It's no trouble, really," I assured her, smiling.

I dropped my bag onto the grass and sat down next to Nagisa, with Lucy on my other side. I almost jumped when I realized there was a fifth person with us. A small girl with chestnut-brown hair reaching her hips, a red bow tying it together near the tips. I hadn't noticed her from the window—had she arrived since then? She was also using a small carving knife to shape a piece of wood into what looked like a star. The girl did not pay any attention to us, which I found rather strange.

Tomoya spoke for the first time since we arrived. "How did your first day go, Lucy?"

"I think it went well." She beamed.

"So I suppose you two have heard that we're trying to get the drama program restarted?" Nagisa asked, and I remembered that she hadn't been there when Tomoya had asked us to meet them.

"Yes. Tomoya-kun told Juvia and Lucy-san before class today."

She nodded. "The rules say that we'll need at least four members for it to be recognized as an official club again," Nagisa explained wistfully.

"Do you two think you would be interested in joining?" Tomoya asked.

Lucy looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed, wondering what we should do. Then she spoke. "We want to help all we can... but we don't know for sure if we can commit to being in the club," she said carefully.

"Juvia is sure the last thing Nagisa-san and Tomoya-kun need would be someone who might not be able to show up very often," I added. "Of course, Juvia and Lucy-san will still do their best to help get enough members."

Nagisa grinned. "I'm sorry you can't really be in the club, but thank you so much for agreeing to help us!" she exclaimed.

"Sure, it's no problem," Lucy replied.

Tomoya stared at us for a few moments, an eyebrow raised. He had already been suspicious of me even before my friends got involved—now he was probably sure there was something going on that we weren't telling.

"So do you also live over in Magnolia, Lucy?" he asked, and I gulped.

Said girl shot a quick glance at me. _Why did you tell him where we live?_ her eyes asked.

"Yes, I do," she said cautiously.

"So do your other friends, right?" Nagisa asked. "The boy who's in my class and the new first-year." We both nodded. "How did you all end up in a school all the way over here?"

"Well, it's sort of complicated," I repeated what I had told Tomoya a few days earlier.

"Well no matter how you ended up here, I'm glad you did," Nagisa said, giving us a big smile.

I felt relieved that the conversation ended there. However as we all got up and began to head our separate ways, I noticed the way they both kept looking at us curiously. Maybe it wasn't over as simply as I thought.

* * *

Lucy and I began to walk back into the building so we could regroup with the others and catch the train back home when Natsu and Wendy pushed open the doors, quickly spotting us.

"Natsu, what's going on?" Lucy asked the sakura-haired boy.

"It looks like we'll have to head home by ourselves—Erza and Gray are stuck here for a little while longer," he explained.

Lucy frowned. "I hope it's nothing serious."

"I don't think so. But they both said that they weren't sure why they were asked to stay," Natsu replied. "Erza said she'll check in with us as soon as she can."

The four of us walked to the train station about ten minutes away from the school. Luckily we made it just in time to catch the train back to Magnolia, so there wasn't any waiting around in the station.

On the train, we all sat silently. I was glad for that because it gave me time to think. I had really messed up the other day when I almost told Tomoya too much about my life for no reason other than my own desire to confide in someone. Now he and Nagisa both would probably ask more questions, and I didn't know what I would tell them. Not to mention that I could get into big trouble if I did tell them anything about the Academy.

I decided I would have to come up with a fake story. The trouble was that it would have to be very convincing, and I would have to get the others to play along.

After what seemed like only a few minutes while I was lost in my thoughts, the train came to a stop. We waited for most of the crowd to exit before we got off.

Once we were sure that no one would see us, we took a path through the trees and up a slightly steep hill to where the Academy was located. Further into the cover of the trees were the dorm buildings.

We soon reached the girls' building and stepped through the front doors. It was then that two small shapes hurled themselves at Natsu and Wendy. I finally recognized the shapes to be Happy and Carla, Natsu and Wendy's kittens. They both purred as they rubbed their faces against us in greeting.

Once we all made it into Lucy and I's room, I sat on my bed and realized then just how tired I was.

"So you have no idea why Erza and Gray were asked to stay at the school?" Lucy asked Natsu.

"No I don't," he replied. "I hope its nothing bad."

"Did they say when they thought they would be back?" I asked.

"No, they didn't, but I doubt it will be too long." He reached into his bag and pulled out the book that we had been studying in the library about Edolas. I knew that he was thinking of Lisanna again. Lucy gazed at him with concern, her lips slightly turned down. I didn't blame her. Lisanna was close with Natsu and he was taking it pretty hard that all of this was happening.

Then suddenly he turned his eyes up from the book, his expression stern. "I think we should investigate these other missing people."

Lucy's eyes widened, almost shocked. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Is it worth it to waste our time if it might not help us find Lisanna?"

"I still think there might be a connection," he replied. "After all, it can't be a coincidence that all these people went missing in the same place. Maybe if we looked into it we'd find a lead on what happened to her."

"Juvia thinks Natsu-kun is right," I agreed. "If all those people went missing in that exact place then all the disappearances must be connected somehow. And if it's possible Lisanna-san is in danger then this lead is all we have to go on if we want to find her quickly."

"Where do you think we should start then?" Lucy asked.

"Well, the first thing would be to go to the place where they all disappeared and ask the people there what they might know," Wendy piped in.

"Yes," Natsu agreed, nodding. "We could talk to the families of the people who disappeared. Maybe we'll find a connection between the people."

Lucy pursed her lips. "But what kind of connection would they have with Lisanna?"

"Yeah," I chimed. "If those people do happen to all be connected somehow, how would Lisanna-san fit in?"

"Thats a good question," Wendy said slowly, "but at the same time how could this all be random?"

"Well," Lucy began, "I hate to say it, but it could just be some lunatic that uses this place to claim their victim—which is why time is important and we need to know what we could be up against," she added.

"But the disappearances have been happening for almost one hundred years," I reminded her. "That makes this all the more scary… Like some kind of criminal organization, rather than just one psychopath."

I saw Lucy shudder at that, and I didn't blame her.

"But what would they possibly want with her?" Natsu said, his voice raising sharply with anger. Lucy put her hand on his back in a calming gesture.

"Juvia thinks the best thing to do is go investigate," I offered. "We shouldn't get into a panic, but time may not be on our side," I added regretfully.

Natsu stood up, fists clenched. "Well, why don't we get going then?! We've been sitting on our asses too long!"

He was right. I felt horrible that we still had done so little to try to find her when it should have been our biggest priority, even over the school job, but for some reason the master seemed to think otherwise.

"I know we might get into trouble if we leave on a job without being assigned, but this is more important than that," Natsu continued, voicing my thoughts.

We were silent for a moment, glancing at each other, wondering what to do. Then we finally reached an agreement. We wouldn't worry about the rules anymore; we would go and search for Lisanna no matter how much hot water we would be in later. Even if it meant ditching the school job. We had been so selfish trying to follow the rules and not get into trouble, but now we were going to do whatever it took.

All four of us packed backpacks with anything we might need if we were gone overnight and left notes for Erza and Gray, informing them that we had left but not where we were going. Then we left the school, being careful that no one saw us, and we trekked the short path back into town to wait for the train.

* * *

When we exited the train after the short ride into the next town, I suddenly realized how hungry I was. The day had been so busy that I had barely eaten anything. Then, Natsu suggested we find something to eat, reminding me that the others had not eaten yet either. Luckily for us we saw a tiny little shop down the street. When we were in front of the building, I was surprised to see that the sign above the entrance read _Furukawa Bakery_.

"Isn't that Nagisa's last name?" Lucy asked me.

"Hello there," a friendly female voice greeted us before I could answer.

I turned my head and saw a woman standing in the doorway. She looked a lot like Nagisa, although her hair was lighter and longer. I wondered if they were related.

"How can I help you?" the woman asked with a friendly smile.

"Well," Lucy began, "we just got into town and were looking for a bite to eat."

"You're in luck then!" the woman exclaimed. "My name is Sanae Furukawa by the way, I'm the owner of this place." She bowed in greeting.

"It's nice to meet you," Lucy said, she and the others bowing in return. I quickly followed suit. "My name is Lucy, and this is Juvia, Natsu, and Wendy." She pointed at each of us as she said our respective names.

Sanae smiled at us. "Why don't you four come on in? I just finished baking something new I'm trying."

The inside of the bakery was a quaint little shop with all kinds of pastries on display inside of glass cases or on stands sitting on top of said cases. A sweet smell of fresh-baked goods greeted us as we entered. Then I remembered on my first day of school when Nagisa had shared a pastry with me for lunch. Sanae might be related to her, I thought—perhaps her older sister—which would make this quite a coincidence.

"Sanae-san, you wouldn't happen to know a Furukawa Nagisa-san would you?" I asked.

She looked at me, first surprised, then amused.

"I should hope that I know my own daughter," she joked. I tried not look as surprised as I was when she said this. The woman looked so young. "I'm guessing that all of you go to school with her—is that how you know her?"

"Yes, but Juvia didn't know that this was where Nagisa-san lived," I replied.

"That makes this quite a coincidence then," Sanae said.

A bell jingled, signaling someone coming into the shop. To my surprise it was Nagisa and Tomoya, both still in their school uniforms.

"Oh, you're back." Sanae smiled welcomingly. "And you're here too, Tomoya! It's nice to see you. The two of you are just in time to try my newest recipe."

Tomoya looked a little nervous, and I wasn't sure why. Then he noticed us for the first time. "What are all of you doing here?" he asked, surprised.

"J-Juvia and her friends were just coming into town to, um, find a book for school at the library," I managed to stammer out. I could see in his eyes that he didn't quite believe me.

"Well before you go you should try this." Sanae held out a small plate with slices of some kind of sweet-smelling bread—reminding me of how hungry I was. She passed a piece out to each of us. I took a large, hungry bite. The taste was not sweet like I was expecting, instead heavily of cinnamon. I didn't say anything, but Sanae may have gone overboard on the cinnamon in her recipe. The others all seemed to silently agree, including Nagisa and Tomoya. Either way, I was hungry enough to finish my piece.

"So what do you think of it?" Sanae inquired hopefully once we had all finished eating.

"Well it was definitely… interesting," Wendy offered kindly.

Luckily that was enough that no one else had to say anything. "I'm so glad you liked them!" Sanae beamed. "We'll have to sell a few and see what other customers think," she said.

"Thank you so much for the food," Lucy said, "but I think we need to be going now."

* * *

The job site that Lisanna was at when she disappeared had actually been in one of the town neighborhoods. We still didn't know what she was assigned to do there; all we knew was that she had stayed at the house of someone who lived there. She had pretended she was someone just passing through town and needed somewhere to sleep for a couple of days.

Our plan was to talk to them first. However, we had to avoid being suspicious, so we decided that only two of us would go to the house claiming to be sent by police to ask them questions relating to the case. In the end it was Natsu and Lucy who got the task. Wendy and I took on the job of going to the real police to ask for as much detail on the case as we could, pretending to be reporters. This wasn't a foolproof plan, but it was all we had on such short notice.

At the police station one of the officers working the case agreed to give a small summary of what they knew, but couldn't release any classified information: According to him, they had also made the connection of the other missing persons cases—and upon examining the area there was no proof of any crimes taking place. The only evidence left behind was strange marks in the ground, as if something had burned scorch marks into it. By then the marks would have disappeared, making it pointless for us to check it out ourselves.

"Didn't the book say that these marks were around during the other investigations?" Wendy asked me once we left the police station. She looked again at the photo the police had given us. "This doesn't look like any kind of symbol, so I don't think anyone left these marks there intentionally." She was right—they looked like abstract marks left by something that had touched down on the ground, similar to a lightning strike.

This makes everything all the more complicated. Could it possibly be a person leaving these marks? I was doubtful of this. After all, why would they want to leave any evidence behind?

When we met up with Natsu and Lucy, we told them everything that we had discovered.

"Well if those markings have been showing up after every disappearance then it must mean something," Natsu said, matter-of-factly.

"Maybe the book has some kind of clue?" Lucy suggested. "I mean, they were doing the exact same research in that book as we're trying to do, so maybe they found something that we didn't."

"That could be true," Wendy agreed. "What did you two find at the house Lisanna stayed at?"

"Believe it or not, the couple living there both said they saw her reading a copy of that book on the day she disappeared," Lucy informed.

"Does that mean that Lisanna-san was actually trying to find what happened to all those people over the years?" I asked.

"That would actually explain why Master didn't want to talk to us about what she was doing," Natsu mumbled.

I was going to say something in return, but before I could a booming voice broke into the conversation.

"What were you thinking?!" the voice shouted.

I turned my head, and was almost face-to-face with a seething Erza.

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* * *

A/N: So, once again I've taken quite a while to finish this. I got pretty busy with school after it started but I'm done now and should have time to get the next chapter finished faster. :)

Oh, and if you're wondering why Fuko is only there for a split second and then not mentioned again, that was intentional. That will come into play later.


	6. In Which the job begins

Chapter 6:

"Are you complete and utter _idiots_?!"

I gulped and took multiple steps back, bumping into Natsu behind me. Erza whipped around, her piercing glare now focused on Natsu and I.

"I can't believe you would do this. You're all lucky I decided to come get you before Master knew you were gone," she scolded.

"Look, I know we left without permission," Natsu began, "but we know Master never would have have let us go investigate Lisanna's case. So we took matters into our own hands."

"And why is that?" Erza asked, curious, her previous anger melting away momentarily.

"We're sure that he's hiding something," I explained. "He lied to us about what she was doing here."

Erza was taken aback by this statement, her mouth opening and then closing. "He wouldn't do that," she said finally.

"Trust me, he's done it before," I said faintly.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," I insisted quickly.

"Either way," Erza continued, "he's working on this case. He doesn't need all of you butting in."

"Well that's too bad," countered Natsu. "Because if he can't tell us what's really going on then we're going to find out for ourselves—whether you like it or not."

I stepped in front of him, as I sensed his anger simmering. "Natsu, calm down. Fighting isn't going to help."

I expected Erza to be angry with him, but she was silent, in contemplation.

"There you all are!" A voice broke into the silence, and I recognized it as Gray's. The raven-haired boy approached us and stood next to Erza.

"If we stay you have to promise that we will at least go to school tomorrow. We can't ignore our job there."

"Speaking of that," Gray added. "That's why Erza and I were asked to stay late today. The principal wanted us to know that she overheard some kids talking about starting a fight with another student who owes them money."

Personally, I thought it was a problem that the principal went to us instead of confronting the kids herself like the principal should.

"Gray-sama," Juvia spoke up shyly. "Did the principal overhear who those kids wanted to fight?"

"No, they never said," Gray answered. "This is bad news for us, as we have no clue who we need to look for. We also don't know when it will happen."

"Juvia thinks she might know. Before the rest of you came to the school, she met one of Tomoya-kun's friends who mentioned owing money to some members of the school soccer team. His name is Sunohara-san. Juvia doesn't know for sure, but it's' a good bet."

"That's a good observation, Juvia," Erza complimented.

I nodded in agreement. "I hope you're right. Still, why couldn't the principal just confront them right there? Isn't that her job? Why leave it to us to solve the problem when she could have just prevented it in the first place?"

"That's the real reason we were sent to the school, though," Natsu reminded. "Master thought there was something shady going on. Of course, now I don't think he's one to talk about people being shady," he added with a scoff.

"What is that hot head talking about?" Gray asked, his eyes meeting mine for an explanation.

I explained how we had been lied to about Lisanna and what she had really been doing on her job.

"We still don't know why he wanted to keep it confidential," Wendy spoke up. "She was looking into the other missing people, and even had the same book."

"But why would he lie about that?" Gray asked.

"That doesn't seem like it needs to be kept a secret unless there was more to it," Juvia finished. "Maybe that's not what Master was keeping from us, but something else."

"Well," Erza said, "we can look into this further tomorrow. It's late and we should all get some sleep. Don't forget about our original job, as that is our first priority."

* * *

The sound of my cell phone alarm woke me the next morning. Juvia, who was sharing one of the beds with me, stirred as I sat up. I looked over to the other bed that Erza and Wendy had slept in, and noticed that the former had already left.

Wendy heard the alarm ringing and sat up, rubbing her eyes. I figured that I 'ought to go wake Natsu up, as it was doubtful he would get up this early on his own. I was careful as I crawled over a dozing Juvia then left the room, quiet in closing the behind me. I knocked on the door across the hall, where Natsu and Gray were staying.

"Natsu!" I called, hoping I wasn't waking up others in the building. "You better get up now or we're going to be late."

To my surprise, Natsu was already awake and came to answer the door. "Mornin' Lucy." He yawned as he leant against the doorframe. "Are you almost ready to go?"

"Um… yes," I said unsurely. This was odd behavior of him. I knew that he was anxious about Lisanna—we all were—but this was even stranger than he had already been acting. "Natsu..." I began gently. "Is something wrong?"

The pink-haired boy locked his brown eyes on mine, but didn't say a word. I could see in his expression how worried he was: his furrowed eyebrows, downturned mouth, and dark circles beneath his eyes. He sighed. "Wh-what if... we find her too late?" he finally stammered. "What if we're already too late?" His voice hitched at the end and tears sprung to his eyes. He swallowed hard, attempting to keep his emotions under control.

I reached out and wrapped my arms around him, holding him close to me. "I know it seems hopeless right now," I murmured in his ear. "But if we don't have hope, then we have nothing. We owe it to her to believe that she's still out there—that we'll get her back to us. After all," I said as I pulled away to look into his eyes, "you were the one who made me realize that. You were the one there to comfort me just a few days ago."

He looked away and gave me a final squeeze before he pulled away. "That's true," he agreed, and his eyebrows weren't quite as furrowed now and I could see the start of a smile on his mouth. "I just can't wait for this mess to be over."

"Neither can I." I sighed and took a step back. "Time for school."

Natsu groaned.

* * *

As we all split up to go to our separate classrooms, I began telling Juvia about Natsu's worries.

"That crossed Juvia's mind as well," the girl admitted with a sigh. "But we can't let that stop us or any chance we have will be gone."

The bell rang before I could reply. As we sat down at our desks Erza—who was examining papers at her own desk—gave us a knowing nod. To the other students it would look like a casual exchange, but we knew it meant she wanted to talk to us as soon as we had the chance without raising any suspicion.

The morning classes went as usual, with Juvia and I half-paying attention to the class, but mostly we wrote down notes about our observations of the other students. We didn't have to listen to the lecture very much, as we had already gone over these things in our studies at the Academy. It wasn't too hard to keep up with the material.

My eyes drifted over to Juvia's friend, Tomoya, sitting across the classroom. He was looking out the window rather than writing notes on the lesson like the rest of the kids. I was still curious about this guy—he was obviously disinterested in school and socializing with other students, but he did not seem like a typical rebellious kid. He was actually a very nice person, from my observations. I wanted to talk to him more. Perhaps he simply had never felt he had people to rely on, and I knew exactly how that felt. When I was a child, with my mother gone and no one but my no-good father, I thought I was alone in the world. But I'm lucky now to have found my true home.

Or, perhaps, I was projecting. I wouldn't know for sure until I got to know him myself.

When the bell rang for lunch break, Juvia and I looked around for Natsu and Wendy, but they were presumably still in their classes since we had been let out a few minutes early.

As we walked through the main hall on our way out to the courtyard, Juvia stopped suddenly in front of me. "What are you—"

"Shhh," she whispered, then I heard what she was listening to.

"This is your last warning, Sunohara! Pay up or we'll have to take the money by force," a voice said, dripping in malice.

"Look, I'll get it soon enough, I just need more time!" another, higher-pitched voice begged.

"That's Sunohara-san." Juvia pointed to the blond-haired boy who was cornered against the wall, surrounded by four boys who were much larger and muscular than him. I remembered Juvia mentioning the soccer team—could that be them?

"Let's go," I said to Juvia, prepared to jump in and intercept a fight.

She grabbed my arm. "Wait," she said calmly. "Unless they try to hurt him, then we shouldn't go in unprepared. They look like they're backing off for now." She turned her head, indicating for me to look. Sure enough, they weren't cornering Sunohara anymore.

"I guess they really were just bluffing to scare him into getting the money," I whispered. We stood there, silently watching for about another minute before the boys completely backed off of Sunohara. We were relieved to see them leave around the opposite corner, up the stairs to the third floor. Sunohara on the other hand turned and began to head right toward us and it was too late for us to get away before he saw us. Surprised, he jumped back.

"Juvia-chan, what are you doing here? Did you see all of that?"

Juvia was affronted at being called "-chan" by someone who obviously was no older than her. I giggled at the way her nose scrunched.

"Yes, we saw it and we can help you," I answered.

"What makes you think you can help me? Who even are you?!" he cried, his hands flying up to yank at his hair in distress.

"Sunohara-san," Juvia coaxed, "Juvia and Lucy-san can help protect Sunohara-san from those guys. But we need to know what kind of trouble Sunohara-san is in."

The boy sighed, hands dropping back down to his sides. Juvia always knew how to calm someone down—it was one of her most-used traits in jobs given to her by the Academy. "Why would I tell you? It's none of your business."

"Actually, it is," Juvia replied, and I gave her a warning look. "But that's a long story. Juvia and Lucy-san promise that they really are here to help," she said carefully.

"Lucy?" Sunohara asked, perplexed. "As in Heartfilia Lucy? The girl people have been rumoring about?"

I didn't dare ask what kind of rumors, I just nodded bashfully instead. "It's nice to meet you."

"So can you really help me?" the boy asked, though hesitantly.

Juvia nodded eagerly. "Yes. But we need to know what's going on first."

Sunohara didn't respond at first. He looked all around to make sure no one was in earshot. "Look, it started in freshman year. Joining the soccer team here was all I ever wanted, but I just didn't cut it for the team. One day after my fourth time trying out, I was just about to give up when a couple of the guys who had made the team on the first try came up to me. They told me that they could personally recommend me for the team. For a price," he paused. I could see where this was going. "I had to pay them a lot—and I mean a _lot_ of money—by the time we graduated. I was obviously a complete idiot by taking that offer; it was so clearly a scam, but I was so desperate to join the team... I let them think they tricked me and I agreed to give them the money. I honestly thought they would just forget about it eventually, but as you can see they haven't." He heaved a deep sigh. "I can't believe I'm even telling you this."

A moment of silence passed as Juvia and I absorbed the information. "Exactly how much money did they want?" I finally asked.

"872, 600 yen." He visibly cringed at the admission.

"And you agreed to pay them that much just to get you on the soccer team?"

"Like I said, I was desperate," he protested. "They clearly thought I was a gullible kid and they were scamming me, but as I told you, I knew exactly what they were doing. I just didn't think they were this serious about it." He let out a breath. "I don't have even near that amount of money, and I can't ask someone else to give it to me because then I'll just owe them instead. I honestly don't know what those guys will do to me when I have to tell them for the third time that I don't have it."

He sounded genuinely scared. I actually felt kind of sorry for him, even though he got himself into this mess.

"Look Sunohara-san, Lucy-san and Juvia can't get the money, but we can help protect Sunohara-san from those guys if they cause him any trouble at all."

"However," I added, "you should go talk to one of the advisors about this. They will probably be able to put an end to this whole mess."

"Don't you think I would have done that if I could?" he countered. "They wouldn't listen to me because those guys just denied the whole thing when they were asked. They even turned the blame on me and said I was trying to get them in trouble."

This news was rather disturbing to me. A student could come to one of the school staff with such a serious problem and they wouldn't even bother to do anything or even consider that he was telling the truth?

"So... you really think you can help me?" he asked, still unconvinced.

"Yes," Juvia replied definitively.

"But why? Why do you even care?"

"Because we can't just sit back and not do anything. That's just not how we work," I replied truthfully.

"Okazaki was right when he said you guys were strange," he muttered. He cleared his throat and looked us in the eyes. "So what are you going to be able to do?"

"For one thing," Juvia told him, "we won't let them hurt Sunohara-san. If he thinks he's in trouble, just let us know and we'll be on Sunohara-san's side."

The bell that signaled the end of lunch break ended our conversation there. I picked up my school bag and placed it over my shoulder.

Sunohara saw this as the perfect opportunity to leave and avoid any more questions. He quickly headed down the other hall without saying another word, as if he was in a hurry to get back to class.

Juvia hummed in thought. "Well, Sunohara-san doesn't seem to think we can really help him. Juvia feels sorry for him."

"Me too," I agreed. "Let's just hope he really does come to us if he needs help."

"Even if he doesn't, Juvia can keep an eye out and let the others know if anything happens."

"We had better let Erza and Gray know right away. They're technically staff so they may be able to help," I added as Juvia and I walked in the direction of our classroom.

When I opened the door, I blushed as I realized we were the last ones to come in. Everyone's eyes were on us. I caught Erza's eye as I sat at my desk. I could tell she had even more questions to ask us now.

* * *

As Juvia and I sat on the front steps looking over the lawn of the school, we compared our notes on the students.

"Perhaps Juvia and Lucy-san, as well their other team members, ought to profile any students that are of particular interest," Juvia suggested. "That way Master will know which kids might be in trouble—or who might be causing trouble for that matter."

"You're right," I agreed. "Then if we need to take any more action he'll know who to send and what they should do about it."

We conveyed this idea to the others when they came out from the school and sat next to us.

"I think that's a great idea," Erza said. "Speaking of Master, I got in contact with him this morning to let him know we wouldn't be home for a couple more days."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "How did he take it?"

"I didn't say much else, but I suppose he didn't question it coming from me."

That was a relief to me; at least we might not get into as much trouble when we got back if we had Erza backing us up.

"Well," Natsu put in, "I guess that means we need to investigate all we can in the next few days before we go home."

"Yeah." I nodded. "There's a good chance we could be restricted from this case when we get back, which means this may be our only chance to save Lisanna."

The implications of what that meant sank in as we walked to the hotel five blocks away. All six of us remained silently somber the whole way as we wondered if we really would be able to save her in time. If we weren't allowed to continue the case, Master would possibly pass it on to someone else, but they wouldn't know what we did. I thought how odd it was that we were essentially having to work against him. I knew that he thought of all the members of the Academy as if we were his own children. There must be a reason for him to be so secretive about all this, but what was it?

Back at the hotel, I sat alone in the lobby, writing down everything about Sunohara's situation and creating a profile. Besides being a more detailed way to turn information into the Academy, this also gave us a better way of examining the situation ourselves. Even so, I still had no way to know if the soccer players would really follow through on their threats. The only thing we could do at the moment is keep an eye on them as well as Sunohara.

"Hi there Lucy." I was a little startled and dropped my pen. It was Wendy who had spoken. She sat down across from me at the small table. "What are working on?" the girl asked, glancing at my paper.

"Earlier, Juvia and I stumbled into a pretty big problem, so I'm trying to get all my details straight and figure out what to do." I also explained the situation with the soccer players to her.

"Poor guy, I hope they don't try to hurt him or anything," Wendy said sympathetically.

"So do I. Will you help me keep an eye on those guys?" I asked. "You're good at being inconspicuous."

"Of course," she replied. "First years take our lunch break at a different time, so I'll be able to watch while you're in class." She sounded distant as she said it, like something else was on her mind at the same time.

"Wendy, is something the matter?" I asked her, gently.

"I'm just... worried about Natsu," she admitted. "You can tell how hard he's taking all of this; he's not acting at all like his usual self." She turned to look at me more directly. "I know we're all having a hard time with this, but he seems to have just given up all hope now."

"I know... I had a talk with him this morning because I noticed how odd he was acting all of a sudden. Except he wouldn't really tell me why he was acting like he did." I frowned. "I comforted him the best I could."

"Maybe you should have another talk with him," Wendy suggested. "He listens to you, and he'd probably be more willing to talk to you about what's on his mind more than any of the rest of us."

I opened my mouth to reply, but instead Wendy and I nearly jumped out of our seats at the bang of a gunshot sounding from outside, eerily close to the hotel. My ears rang as a commotion of terrified people naturally began gathering in the lobby, trying to figure out what was happening.

I had a hard time getting a good look out the lobby window over all the people. When I finally managed to make my way to the front of the crowd and see out the window, I saw police cars gathered a short way down the block. However the police themselves were running, chasing someone. When I finally saw the figure they were chasing, it was already on it's way up the hotel's front steps.

.

.


End file.
